1 Chronicles 16–18

Footnotes

1. 1 Or “tokens of peace”; “fellowship offerings.”
2. 2 Heb “face.”
3. 3 Heb “and the judgments of his mouth.”
4. 4 Heb “seed.”
5. 5 Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6. 6 Heb “his”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7. 7 Heb “in all the earth [are] his judgments.”
8. 8 The Hebrew text has a masculine plural imperative, addressed to the people. Some harmonize the wording here to Ps 105:8, which has זָכַר (zakhar), the perfect third masculine singular form of the verb, “He (the Lord) remembers” (so ; reads “He called to mind his covenant”).
9. 9 Heb “[the] word he commanded.” The text refers here to God’s unconditional covenantal promise to Abraham and the patriarchs, as vv. 16–18 make clear.
10. 10 Heb “which.”
11. 11 Heb “his oath to Isaac.”
12. 12 Or “eternal covenant.”
13. 13 Heb “and from a kingdom to another nation.”
14. 14 The word “saying” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
15. 15 Heb “from day to day.”
16. 16 The verb “tell” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
17. 17 Or “feared above.”
18. 18 The Hebrew word אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless”) sounds like אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “gods”). The sound play draws attention to the statement. Many modern English translations render this term as “idols” here.
19. 19 Or “the sky” (also in v. 31). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
20. 20 Heb “majesty and splendor [are] before him.”
21. 21 Heb “strength and joy [are] in his place.”
22. 22 Heb “the splendor of [i.e., due] his name.”
23. 23 Or “in holy splendor.”
24. 24 Heb “let them say among the nations.”
25. 25 Or “is eternal.”
26. 26 The words “this prayer” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
27. 27 Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.
28. 28 Heb “to boast in your praise.”
29. 29 Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”
30. 30 This is the Hebrew term אָמֵן (’amen, “surely”), traditionally transliterated “amen.”
31. 31 Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32. 32 Heb “according to the matter of the day in its day.”
33. 33 The word “served” is supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
34. 34 Or “high place.”
35. 35 Heb “which he commanded Israel.”
36. 36 Perhaps this refers to the refrain of their songs of praise (see Ps 136). In this case one could translate, “to give thanks to the Lord with songs using the refrain, ‘For his loyal love endures.’ ”
37. 37 Heb “and with them, Heman and Jeduthun, trumpets and cymbals for sounding, and the instrument of song of God, and the sons of Jeduthun [were] at the gate.”
38. 38 Heb “to bless his house.” Elsewhere when “house” is the object of “bless,” it refers to a household or family. See, for example, 1 Chr 13:14; 17:27. However, since בֵּית (bet, “house”) refers to a literal house or home earlier in the verse and to David’s palace in 17:1, one might translate here, “David went to pronounce a blessing on [i.e., dedicate] his house [i.e., palace].”
39. 1 Heb “house.”
40. 2 Heb “David.” The pronoun “he” has been used in the translation here to avoid redundancy in keeping with contemporary English style.
41. 3 Heb “house.”
42. 4 Heb “tent curtains.”
43. 5 Heb “all which is in your heart.”
44. 6 Heb “the word of God was [i.e., came] to Nathan the prophet.”
45. 7 The words “from Egypt” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
46. 8 Heb “and I was from tent to tent and from tabernacle.” The words אֶל־מִשְּׁכָּן (’el-mishékan, “to tabernacle”) should probably be added at the end of the sentence to complete this prepositional phrase and produce symmetry with the preceding prepositional phrase. The words probably fell from the text by homoioteleuton. I have lived in a tent that has been in various places. The point here is that the Lord moved with the tabernacle as it moved from place to place; he did not confine himself to a particular location.
47. 9 In the Hebrew text the statement is phrased as a rhetorical question (“Did I say?”) meaning “I did not say.”
48. 10 Heb “to one of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people.”
49. 11 Traditionally, “Lord of hosts.”
50. 12 Heb “and from after sheep.”
51. 13 Heb “cut off.”
52. 14 Heb “and I will make for you a name like the name of the great men who are in the earth.”
53. 15 Heb “plant.”
54. 16 Heb “shaken.”
55. 17 Heb “and sons of violence will no longer consume them as in the beginning.”
56. 18 Here the word “house” is used in a metaphorical sense, referring to a royal dynasty. The Lord’s use of the word here plays off the literal sense that David had in mind as he contemplated building a temple (“house”) for the Lord. In the translation the adjective “dynastic” is supplied to indicate that the term is used metaphorically.
57. 19 Heb “and it will be when your days are full to go with your ancestors.”
58. 20 Heb “your seed.”
59. 21 Heb “and I will establish his throne permanently.”
60. 22 The one who ruled before you is a reference to Saul, from whom the kingdom was taken and given to David.
61. 23 Heb “and his throne will be established permanently.”
62. 24 Heb “according to all these words and according to all this revelation, so Nathan said to David.”
63. 25 Heb “house.”
64. 26 Heb “and this was small in your eyes, O God, so you spoke concerning the house of your servant for a distance.”
65. 27 The translation “You have revealed to me what men long to know” is very tentative; the meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear. The text appears to read literally, “and you see me like the searching of man, that which is upward,” which is nonsensical. The translation above assumes the following: (1) The Qal verb translated “you see me” is repointed as a Hiphil, “you showed me,” (2) תּוֹר (tor) is understood in the sense of “searching, exploring,” and (3) הַמַּעֲלָה (hamma’alah) is taken in a temporal sense of “that which lies beyond.” Thus one could translate, “you have shown me what men search for, what lies beyond.”
66. 28 The word “say” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
67. 29 Heb “for honoring your servant, and you, your servant, know.”
68. 30 Heb “heart.”
69. 31 Heb “to make known all the great deeds.”
70. 32 The Hebrew text reads literally, “in all which we heard with our ears,” but בְּכֹל (békhol, “in all”) should probably be emended to כְּכֹל (kékhol, “according to all”).
71. 33 Heb “a nation, one.”
72. 34 Heb “whose God,” or “because God.” In the Hebrew text this clause is subordinated to what precedes. The clauses are separated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
73. 35 Heb “redeem” or “deliver.”
74. 36 Heb “to make for yourself a name [with] great and awesome [deeds].”
75. 37 Heb “to drive out.”
76. 38 Heb “from Egypt, nations.” The parallel text in 2 Sam 7:23 reads “from Egypt, nations and its gods.”
77. 39 Heb “and you made your people Israel your own for a people permanently.”
78. 40 Heb “and now, O Lord, the word which you spoke concerning your servant and concerning his house, may it be established permanently.”
79. 41 Heb “as you have spoken.”
80. 42 Following the imperative in v. 23b, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result: “so it might become a reality.”
81. 43 Heb “so it might be established.”
82. 44 Heb “and your name might be great permanently.” Following the imperative in v. 23b, the prefixed verbal form with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result (parallel to the previous purpose/result clause): “[so] … you might gain lasting fame.”
83. 45 Heb “saying.” The words “as people” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
84. 46 Heb “the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts], the God of Israel, Israel’s God.” The phrases אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (’elohey yisra’el, “God of Israel”) and אֱלֹהִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל (’elohim léyisra’el, “Israel’s God”) are probably alternative readings that have been conflated in the text.
85. 47 Heb “the house of David.”
86. 48 Heb “house.”
87. 49 Heb “That is why your servant found to pray before you.” Perhaps the phrase אֶת לִבּוֹ (’et libbo, “his heart”) should be supplied as the object of the verb “found.”
88. 50 Heb “the God.” The article indicates uniqueness here.
89. 51 Heb “and you have spoken to your servant this good thing.”
90. 52 Heb “house.”
91. 53 Heb “for you, O Lord, have blessed and [it is] blessed permanently.”
92. 1 2 Sam 8:1 identifies this region as “Metheg Ammah.”
93. 2 Heb “from the hand of the Philistines.” Here “hand” is figurative language for “control.”
94. 3 Heb “and the Moabites were servants of David, carriers of tribute.”
95. 4 Heb “hand.”
96. 5 Heb “when he went to set up his hand at the Euphrates River.” The Hebrew word יָד (yad, “hand”) is usually understood to mean “control” or “dominion” here. However, since יָד does occasionally refer to a monument, perhaps one could translate, “to set up his monument at the Euphrates River” (i.e., as a visible marker of the limits of his dominion). For another example of the Hiphil of נָצַב (natsav) used with יָד (“monument”), see 1 Sam 15:12.
97. 6 Or “horsemen.”
98. 7 Heb “his”; the referent (Hadadezer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
99. 8 Heb “and David cut the hamstrings of all the chariot horses, and he left from them one hundred chariot horses.”
100. 9 Heb “and David placed in Aram of Damascus.” The object נְצִיבִים (nétsivim, “garrisons”) appears to have been accidentally omitted from the text. See v. 13, as well as the parallel passage in 2 Sam 8:6, which includes it.
101. 10 Or “delivered.”
102. 11 Or “wherever he went.”
103. 12 Heb “which were upon the servants of Hadadezer.”
104. 13 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
105. 14 The reads “Tibhath” here, a variant name for Tebah (cf. 2 Sam 8:8). Some English translations substitute the other version of the name here (e.g., , ), while others follow the reading of the Hebrew text at this point (e.g., , , ).
106. 15 The parallel text of 2 Sam 8:8 has the variant name “Berothai.”
107. 16 Heb “the sea of bronze,” or “[the] sea, the bronze one.” See the note at .
108. 17 The name is spelled “Toi” in the parallel text in 2 Sam 8:9.
109. 18 The name is spelled “Joram” in the parallel text in 2 Sam 8:10.